Under the revamped MPP program, International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency that helps transport migrants, would transfer them to a safer city like Monterrey. But after testing positive for COVID-19, Raul and two other migrants had to quarantine in Nuevo Laredo. And they, with about 20 others, were held captive, note Gottesdiener and Solomon. 

"You think you’re in good hands," said Raul of the U.S. government. "But that’s not the case." 

After four days, Raul paid six grand as ransom money to flee. He then reached out to IOM, which set up transportation and shelter for him in the U.S., in anticipation for his first court hearing in May, write Gottesdiener and Solomon. Once in Texas, Raul successfully petitioned for an exception to stay in the U.S. for the remainder of his asylum case. 

This should never have happened. And without changes to the way we treat those seeking asylum and safety at our borders, we will continue to fail migrants like Raul. 

For better, more compassionate policies, Jon Huckins, co-founding director of Global Immersion, a faith-based peacemaking organization based in San Diego, reminds us to approach immigration with prayer, peace, and love, per Border Report’s Salvador Rivera. 

Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Becka Wall, the Forum’s digital communications VP. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected]. 

HAITIAN MIGRANTS — Thousands of Haitian migrants are waiting in Reynosa in intense heat, after many were denied asylum under Title 42, reports Sandra Sanchez of Border Report. "There’s no shade so they’re out in the hot sun all day long. I was just there [Monday] most of the day. It really hurts me to see them dehydrating. Water is of the essence …," said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. "We’re working on trying to build more permanent shade," in addition to other necessary services like more access to food and shelter, notes Pimentel. "...[B]ut in the meantime, this sun is merciless, you know." Separately, the Miami Herald’s Jacqueline Charles and Syra Ortiz-Blanes feature a touching and heartbreaking story of how Puerto Rico helped bury 11 Haitian migrants who died last month after their boat capsized on the island. 

COURT REVIVED — Breathing life into a previous lawsuit, detained immigrant mothers now have standing to sue the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for allowing unrelated adults and children to share the same room, reports Janet Miranda of Bloomberg Law. The plaintiffs "allege that the rule has led to longer detention periods at the center and that one minor was sexually assaulted while sharing her room with an unrelated adult," notes Miranda. The rule also enabled an "invasion of the children’s privacy from such room-sharing," per the state’s Supreme Court. For more background on the ruling, see Chuck Lindell’s piece for the Austin American-Statesman. 

RESETTLEMENT WOES — Our hearts and prayers go out to Afghanistan this morning after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the Pakistani border. Today’s story: Roshan Moshal, a longtime women’s rights activist in Afghanistan, escaped the Taliban with support from the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, report Anna Schecter, Kenzi Abou-Sabe, and Cynthia McFadden for NBC News. But after 10 weeks, she "found herself out of food and money in a Texas apartment, with no access to health care or transportation and separated from three of her children," due to capacity issues. "We are struggling with this complicated system," Mashal said. "There is one caseworker with 60 clients." To make ends meet, Mashal urged her resettlement agency to help and enrolled in a one-year fellowship at the University of Texas at Arlington Women’s and Gender Studies program.  

On the local front: 

• Commonwealth Catholic Charities helped Afghan ally Mohammad Hassanzada adjust to his new life in Roanoke, Virginia, where he now owns a rug store "to pay tribute to his roots and share his culture." (Alexus Davila, 10 News) 
•  "...We [Afghan people] take care of each other and we give [a] hand to the new people that are arriving here in Charlottesville," said Afghan refugee Rahimullah Nishat who resettled in Charlottesville, Virginia, thanks to the nonprofit International Neighbors and the local Afghan community. (Anne-Parker Coleman, CBS19 News) 
• With support from nonprofit Tiyya Foundation, Enayatullah and his family have officially moved into their own apartment in Southern California, after living in a single hotel room for almost three months. (Zarina Khairzada, Spectrum News 1) 

‘YOU’RE A HERO’ — Today, the average cost of gas in Phoenix is $5.69. To alleviate the financial burden on their community, gas station owners Jaswinder Singh and his wife, Ramandeep Kaur, only charge $4.99 per gallon of gas — 70 cents less than the average cost per gallon in the city — and have been doing so since 2015, reports Christina Lopez of Fox 26 News. Singh and his wife opened CK Food Mart in 2006 after coming to the U.S. from Punjab, India. "We have to do our best whatever resources we have. This is our resource — we can try to help our customers, our community, our neighborhood. So, this is our part," said Kaur.  

Thanks for reading, 

Becka  

P.S. Over on the Senate floor, HuffPost’s Igor Bobic captured the positivity among Senators who advanced a bipartisan bill on gun reform, and the energy to pass bipartisan immigration reform. Let’s keep that spirit and momentum going!